In the King’s Speech on 13 May, the government set out plans for an NHS Modernisation Bill that will reshape the way the health service is organised and managed. Within that package is legislation for a Single Patient Record intended to bring relevant health and care information together. For pharmacy, this is not a technical add-on. It is a policy issue that goes directly to whether every clinician can access the information they need to deliver safe, timely and effective care.
According to reports published after the speech, the new record is intended to give clinicians across primary and secondary care quicker access to relevant patient information, while also enabling patients to view their records securely through the NHS App. Initial implementation is expected to focus on maternity and frailty care by 2028, with wider rollout to follow.
For pharmacists, the case is clear. Safe and effective practice depends on access to the right clinical information at the right time. Whether working in community pharmacy, general practice, hospitals, care homes, or other settings, pharmacists need the appropriate visibility of the patient record to support high-quality clinical decision making. The PDA has consistently highlighted that if pharmacists are to take on expanding clinical responsibilities, then policy and system design must support them with proper access, clear governance and professional safeguards.
However, the announcement has already prompted questions about privacy, governance and accountability. Commentators have warned that previous attempts to create more joined-up patient records have run into difficulty because of public concern over how data is shared, who controls it, and what safeguards are in place. Some medical leaders have also raised concerns about whether the legislation could shift control over patient data away from local providers and whether trust can be maintained without clear protections and transparency.
The central policy question is therefore not simply whether a Single Patient Record should exist, but whether it will be implemented in a way that supports real-world clinical care which is delivered through NHS organisations and through privately owned businesses such as community pharmacies and GP practices. That means designing access around patient needs and care pathways across all settings, rather than around organisational silos. Whoever employs them, pharmacists delivering NHS care must be included from the outset as medicines experts and frontline clinicians, with the permissions, accountability, and safeguards needed to practise effectively. Without that, the policy will fall short of its stated aim to improve joined-up care.
As the bill moves through parliament, PDA members will expect more than broad commitments to better information sharing. The legislation and its implementation must recognise that pharmacists need appropriate access to patient records to deliver safe clinical care, reduce risk, and support continuity of treatment wherever patients present. That principle has been reflected across PDA policy for many years. The test now is whether the government will deliver a system that matches the reality of modern multidisciplinary care.
PDA members who would like to share their views on this issue or raise any other policy matters are encouraged to get in touch with the PDA at [email protected].
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